Murray comes back from the brink as Djokovic powers through

04/07/2013

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It was men’s quarter final day at Wimbledon yesterday as both Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic powered through to the semis in two very different matches.

Djokovic, the clear favourite for the title stormed imperiously past Thomas Berdych in straight sets. Winning 7-6, 6-4, 6-3, the 26-year-old Djokovic still has not dropped a set in this years’ championship and his clinical stride to the final shows no sign of slowing. "It's not my preferred surface but I'm playing some of the best tennis of my career on grass," he said after the match. "I have the right commitment – I'm dedicated to go far in this tournament."

Djokovic will play Juan Martin del Potro, who despite suffering yet another one of those nasty falls this years’ Wimbledon seems so alarmingly littered with, beat the canny Spaniard, David Ferrer in straight sets. Slipping awkwardly after a matter of minutes, del Potro had been on the verge of retirement until medical attention managed to find a way to kill the pain. However Djokovic may prove to be profoundly unforgiving of any chinks in his armour.

Andy Murray – or ‘Mr Personality’ as he is apparently known had an altogether more difficult match. Two sets to love down against Fernando Verdasco, he was tormented both by Verdascos’ sizzling forehand and by a few unforced errors of his own. Rattled and off his game, he still managed to come back laboriously to take the third and fourth sets before finally closing the match out in the fifth, 4-6, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, 7-5, to advance to his fifth consecutive semi final.

The crowd played a huge part in spurring his comeback – with decibel levels peaking for this year’s tournament. It is extraordinary to see such impassioned support for someone with the charisma of a plank of wood, but the crowd definitely seem to have taken Andy to their hearts. Either that or patriotism really isn’t fussy.

Murray will play the rocket serve of Pole Jerzy Janowicz in the semis. Can he go all the way?